Agile Talks

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan sits down with Bob Mulfinger to discuss how modern 3D printing is revolutionizing classic car restoration and custom resto-mods.

Key Highlights:

• Restoration vs. Resto-Mod: Bob breaks down the differences between keeping classic vehicles completely original and modernizing them with high-performance engines, upgraded interiors, and custom touches.
• Overcoming Hard-to-Find Parts: Learn how 3D laser scanning and reverse engineering solve the challenge of missing, ill-fitting, or obsolete parts that can no longer be sourced from junkyards.
• Real-World Applications: Bob shares his personal 3D printing projects, including interior enhancements for his Ford E-Series van and custom mounts and utility accessories for his Ford Bronco.
• Advanced Materials: Discover how modern production materials like ASA, carbon fiber, and flame-retardant polymers outperform older plastics, offering superior UV resistance, heat deflection, and durability for automotive, marine, and industrial uses.

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan is joined by Mark Beatty, CEO of 3D Agility, to dive deep into the challenges of losing the human touch in both internal operations and external customer relations. The duo explores the shift toward digital environments and shares critical insights on what companies must do to successfully adapt.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Remote and Hybrid Dilemma: Ryan and Mark discuss how transitioning to work-from-home and hybrid schedules removes the natural proximity that once built strong team bonds and allowed for the organic transfer of tribal knowledge.

• The Need for Intentional Leadership: Mark emphasizes that remote environments require corporate culture to be highly intentional. Leaders must actively create structured avenues for mentorship, employee onboarding, and internal knowledge sharing rather than just hoping connections will happen on their own.

• The Evolution (and Frustration) of Customer Self-Service: The conversation shifts from internal teams to external customers, tracking the cost-cutting progression from live support reps to online databases, managed live chats, and modern AI chatbots. They break down why many corporate setups result in frustrating "doom loops" for users.

• The Golden Rule of Data: Mark explains that AI tools and chatbots fail when companies try to bolt them onto uncleaned data infrastructures. He shares a memorable reminder that feeding a model bad data is like pulling ingredients out of the trash can to make dinner: "If it's garbage, you are not going to get a good result.".

• Setting the Gold Standard: Ryan points to Amazon as the ultimate benchmark for effective automated self-service, noting that if a company is going to completely remove the human element, the digital replacement must be equal to or better than a real human interaction.

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan and CEO Mark Beatty tackle the "unsexy but vital" topic of integrating 3D printing (additive manufacturing) into mass transit.

As transit agencies across the United States face massive budget deficits and brace for the expiration of over $20 billion in funding, the pressure is on to find new efficiencies.

The hosts discuss how aging fleets and shrinking supply chains often trap agencies in a costly "scavenger hunt" for replacement parts, leading to extended vehicle downtime and frustrated commuters.Mark highlights how additive manufacturing can step in to solve these supply bottlenecks, pointing to St. Louis's transit system as a success story that saw paybacks within 12 months of taking the leap into 3D printing. While acknowledging that 3D printing isn't a "magic bean" for every application due to evolving material qualifications and structural load requirements, Mark shares a strategic framework for agencies to "red, green, yellow" their parts catalog to safely separate no-brainer applications from high-risk structural components.

Tune in to hear how creativity and additive technology might help public transit authorities navigate their impending debt cliffs.

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan sits down with Mark Beatty, CEO of 3D Agility, to discuss the growing complexities facing modern sales teams. They dive deep into why sales professionals often feel "drowning in systems and not data," examining how companies continuously layer on new tools in hopes of improving performance, only to cause frustration and adoption hurdles.

Mark and Ryan share firsthand insights and nostalgic reflections on how selling has evolved from linear, paper-based catalogs to highly complex, dynamic product lines. They explore critical leadership questions, such as whether performance bottlenecks stem from people or systems, and how to balance speed with accuracy when responding to clients.

The conversation also highlights the rapid adoption of AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT because of their ease of use, leading into a discussion of the motivation behind developing Peregrine, a tool designed to layer onto complicated databases to deliver not just faster, but better, revenue-driving answers. Finally, they offer a litmus test for software adoption, explaining how sales teams will naturally embrace tools if leadership can draw a direct line between the technology, top-line revenue, and increased commissions.

In this episode of Agile Talks, hosts Ryan and Mark Batty explore unique industries increasingly turning to additive manufacturing (3D printing) to solve modern logistical nightmares. They discuss four major sectors where additive manufacturing has become a critical sweet spot: agriculture, marine and offshore, amusement parks and specialty entertainment, and historic restoration and infrastructure. The conversation focuses on the overarching theme of the "death of supply chain assumptions," explaining how post-COVID realities, offshoring, and retiring family businesses have left many industries without traditional suppliers to lean on.

Key Takeaways by Industry:

• Agriculture & Marine/Offshore: These sectors benefit from additive manufacturing because they frequently deal with high-mix, low-volume parts and operate in extremely remote areas (such as farms in Iowa or offshore rigs in the middle of the ocean) where getting to a traditional parts dealership is incredibly difficult.
• Amusement Parks & Historic Restoration: For these fields, the primary driver is nostalgia and the need to replace one-of-a-kind items. Because traditional supply chains are built strictly for volume and scale, they cannot support handmade components, classic cars, or iconic 50-to-100-year-old roller coasters and carousels when molds no longer exist.

In this episode, host Ryan Pistone sits down with Mark Beatty, CEO of 3D Agility, to dive deep into the world of large-scale fleet management. They explore the operational nightmares of keeping hundreds of complex machines running, the true financial impact of downtime, and the strict safety standards enforced by unions.

Mark shares how the industry is evolving past standard reactive maintenance into an era driven by sensors, data, and predictive models. Finally, they discuss how cutting-edge 3D printing (additive manufacturing) and intelligent tracking tools like Peregrine are helping fleet managers save millions in working capital by keeping aging heavy machinery safely in service.

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan sits down with 3D Agility CEO Mark Beatty to tackle a common and challenging dilemma faced by sales professionals across industries: how to deal with customers who know more than you do.

Drawing from their diverse professional backgrounds—Mark's career selling to engineers and technical experts, and Ryan's experience selling to doctors and clinicians—the two discuss how to navigate the tension that often arises when clients possess deep, specialized knowledge.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• Application vs. Catalog Expertise: Reframing the dynamic so that the customer is viewed as the expert on their specific application, while the salesperson is the expert on the product catalog.
• Competency vs. Confidence: Finding the right balance between being confident and recognizing when to say "I don't know" to protect client trust and avoid costly misinformation.
• Bridging the Knowledge Gap: How leveraging platforms like Peregrine can act as a "translator" or virtual sales engineer, giving sales teams a broader lens to sell complex product portfolios and packaging levels without leaving money on the table.
• Key Takeaways for Sales Teams and Leaders: The absolute importance of honesty when you don't have the answer, and why sales leaders must implement tools to help their teams access technical information faster.

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan and 3D Agility CEO Mark discuss why many companies have already exhausted their 2026 AI budgets by June. They explore the challenges of managing AI costs and the importance of focusing on practical, problem-driven solutions rather than just adopting new tools for the sake of creativity.

• The AI "Arcade" and Budget Depletion: Mark compares the current state of AI to an arcade where companies are "burning through cash" on shiny new features without having proper cost controls or an understanding of tokenization.
• Adoption vs. Impact: While organizations have successfully achieved cultural shifts and high adoption rates, they are now struggling to tie specific AI features to measurable business metrics or ROI.
• Building for the Sake of Building: The hosts discuss how some employees spend excessive time (e.g., 200+ hours) building complex AI tools for simple tasks, like reading emails, when it might have been more efficient to just do the work manually.
• The Problem-Backwards Approach: Mark emphasizes that 3D Agility focuses on working backward from a specific problem statement or use case to ensure financial gains and ROI, rather than spreading AI usage broadly across an entire organization.
• Future of AI Pricing: As token consumption increases, companies will need to decide whether to absorb these costs internally and impact their margins or pass the expenses down to their customers.

• Identify ROI Early: Organizations should determine if there is a clear return on investment before implementing new AI features.
• Start with the Problem: Instead of focusing on the tool itself, businesses should work backward from the specific problem they are trying to solve.

In this episode of Agile Talks, guest host Ryan sits down with Bob Mulfinger to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of materials and processes in additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Bob highlights several advancements that have emerged in just the last 18 months, focusing on how these innovations are becoming mainstream and offering new solutions for complex engineering challenges.

Key topics discussed include:

• High-Performance Filaments: The transition of advanced filaments like PEEK and PPS carbon fiber from niche to mainstream use.

• PEEK and Aerospace: The benefits of using PEEK in aerospace and space applications, particularly for low-quantity, complex structures where 3D printing is more cost-effective than traditional machining.

• PPS Carbon Fiber: The properties of PPS carbon fiber, including its high heat resistance (over 200°C) and extreme stiffness, which results in a metal-like sound when tapped.

• Advanced Resins (SLA): New SLA resins that rival the performance of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene), offering high accuracy alongside toughness and chemical resistance for automotive and heavy equipment applications.

• Metallic Filaments and Organic Design: The process of using powder-infused FDM filament to create metal parts through 3D printing and kiln firing. This allows for "organic designs"—structures that mimic bone by placing material only where it is needed—which are often impossible or wasteful to machine traditionally.

• Multi-Material and Sustainable Printing: The ability to print multiple colors and materials simultaneously for functional applications like color-coding. The discussion also covers eco-friendly options, such as recycled and decomposable filaments, to reduce carbon footprints.

In this episode of Agile Talks, host Ryan Pistone and 3D Agility CEO Mark Beatty dive into the complex world of legacy computer systems—from aging ERPs and inventory systems to the "Excel sheets" companies rely on for critical operations. They explore the delicate balance between maintaining a profitable, "tried and true" system and recognizing when that same system has become a hidden drain on organizational velocity and morale.

Key topics include:

• The "Good": Why profitable companies often adhere to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, even when negotiating with systems they no longer fully manage.

• The "Bad": The hidden costs of legacy systems, including the "workaround cost" and the heavy reliance on "tribal knowledge" from long-tenured employees to keep operations running.

• The "Ugly": Recognizing the tipping point where systems begin to crash, vendors sunset support, or the retirement of a single key employee threatens to disrupt the entire P&L.

• Mitigating Risk: Strategies for evaluating your current technology, understanding the real "workaround costs," and treating system migration as an opportunity for process improvement rather than just a data dump.

Join Ryan and Mark for a candid discussion on the human and financial challenges of legacy change and how to decide when it’s finally time to move toward the next generation of your business systems.